What We Do | He aha tā mātou mahi
Our Impact | Tā Mātou Whakaaweawe
95% of participants say they benefit greatly
Graduates report reduced aggression and increased self-awareness
Staff report improved prison environments and safer interactions
What We Do | He Aha Tā Mātou Mahi
Deliver the 16-part “Trauma Talks” program to NZ prisons and communities
Facilitate one-day "Trauma to Transformation" workshops
Provide reintegration support and community-based trauma circles
Train prison staff and support trauma-informed environments
“Do small things with great love”
He Iti Hītōria | A Little History
Since 2023, we've run 5 pilots at Manawatū Prison with 54 participants (37 graduates), many of whom describe the program as life-changing.
Graduate numbers would be higher if participants were not relocated partway through our programmes.
After the second week of the first pilot we had 17 men on the waitlist. We are regularly asked by Case Managers, Probation Officers, and Counsellors when our next programmes will run and whether the men they work with will be able to take part.
Being a contracted programme would be a huge help to meet the needs of those in care.
Within Aotearoa, we are currently expanding to Whanganui Prison, Christchurch Men's, and the community reintegration space.
With stricter privacy laws here in Aotearoa than the USA, we continue to explore ways to share the impact of our work and stories of our participants.
To date, we have not been allowed to share the faces of our participants behind the wire. We are working toward creating avenues to share their stories and hope to film a local version of ‘Step Inside the Circle’ in the coming year.
Furthermore, we are working on culturalising the programme to Aotearoa and part of this mahi (work) involves sharing the pictures of those who live here.
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat. They’ve known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life. That fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
Custodial Staff Training |
Whakangungu Kaimahi Tiaki
Dr. Kirsten Robertson
Senior Clinical Psychologist
Ara Poutama | Department of Corrections
Trauma-Informed Care
Kirsten developed a 2-part training for correctional staff.
The programme was piloted at Christchurch Men’s Prison from 2023 to 2025 and made its way to multiple sites.
As of mid 2025, over 230 correctional staff across the motu have taken part in this training.
As with our Trauma Talks programme, we are exploring avenues for the trauma-informed staff training to be in as many prisons as possible.
Our goal is for all prisons to become trauma-informed where both prison residents as well as correctional officers feel safe and seen, and everyone is treated humanely
Pae Hōtaka | Programmes Sites
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Te Ika-a-Māui | North Island
Manawatū
5 programmes run since 2023
Whanganui
1st pilot in progress
Te Matau-a-Māui | Hawke’s Bay (soon)
Facilitator in training
Te Waipounamu | South Island
Ōtautahi | Christchurch
Christchurch Men’s
Facilitators piloting 1-1 sessions
Christchurch Women’s
Facilitator piloting 1-1 sessions
Roretana | Rolleston (coming soon)
Facilitator Trained
Poipoia te kākano kia puawai
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Nurture the seed and it will grow